Matthew Fitzpatrick has claimed his first win since last year’s US Open, winning the RBC Heritage at the third playoff hole at Harbour Town, after a thrilling duel with three-time major winner Jordan Spieth for the title.
Fitzpatrick became the first Englishman to win the tournament since Nick Faldo in 1984 after Spieth cruelly lipped out a $5.4 million putt to fall heartbreakingly short of becoming just the tournament’s fourth-ever back-to-back winner.
Spieth long looked in the ascendancy but couldn’t close out birdie putts at both the first and second playoff holes that would’ve claimed the win. At the third playoff hole, Fitzpatrick almost holed out from the fairway to leave himself with just a tap-in for birdie.
Spieth couldn’t respond, making Englishman the winner of the $3.6 million (A$5.4m) top prize. The American had to settle for second and a cheque for $2.2 million. Americans Patrick Cantlay came third at 16-under, missing the playoff by one shot, followed by Xander Schaffuele one shot further back.
Fitzpatrick, the 2022 US Open champion, triumphed in the town where he spent many of his family vacations after first visiting as a six-year-old.
“It’s hard to describe,” the 28-year-old from Sheffield said. “I said to (caddie) Billy (Foster), it doesn’t get better than this – walking down here, just looking around. It’s a course I dreamed of playing when I was young.”
“I managed to play a couple of times with my dad and yes, this one means more than anything.” Fitzpatrick’s family was at Harbour Town to share the victory with him.
Spieth had made four birdies in the opening six holes but he missed a short putt for bogey on the par-three 14th and left the door open for Fitzpatrick.
The Englishman then made birdies on the 15th and 16th to grab a share of the lead and could have won it at the death if Spieth hadn’t made a tricky six-footer to force the playoff.
“It was a really good round. I got off to a dream start and then just kind of hung in there for a little while and then made a nice putt to get into the playoff, and then played the playoff really well,” said Spieth.
“Someone was going to make a birdie. It wasn’t going to be a bogey to lose that playoff the way that we were both playing today. He just did what he needed to do on 15 in, when it had been kind of me and Patrick for a little while there. He just snuck in and played some tremendous golf.”
